Editorial: political awareness or a day off school? Climate protest and young people

I sat down to write this editorial shortly after we had witnessed in the United Kingdom a number of environmental demonstrations against climate change. In particular, it has been interesting to note the numbers of young people, from schools and colleges across the UK, who have walked out of their classes to participate in protest demonstrations. It is also worthy of comment that many of these demonstrations have been directly organised by young people themselves. The story of pattern and intentions of the demonstrations has unfolded since September 2018, when a young woman, Greta Thunberg then aged 15, decided to mount a solitary weekly protest about world climate change outside of the Swedish parliament. What was of particular interest, however, was the speed with which Greta’s lead was followed by children and young people across the global. By February of this year (2019), the number of young people involved in taking weekly ‘strike’ action was claimed by organisers to be in the region of 10,000 (see The Guardian 2019). As might be expected, adult reactions have varied considerably – from those who are supportive to others who see this kind of activity as little more than an opportunity to ‘bunk-off’ school and have fun.

From my perspective, however, such demonstrations raise a number of important questions for a journal that frequently features discussions on participation, children’s rights and empowerment. In addition, much of my own academic work has involved talking with young people about such matters as exclusion, abuse, education and their active participation in decision-making (see, for example, Tucker, 1999; Trotman, Martyn, & Tucker; Trotman, Tucker, & Martin, 2015). Such questions include: What should happen if young people decide to seek out their own spaces and places to pursue specific issues and concerns? Is a level of adult endorsement necessary to legitimise any actions young people might choose to take as individuals and groups. Should attempts to influence wider social and political agendas, such as climate change, be seen as educationally valid activities or little more than diversions with the potential for mischief?

When viewed from a pastoral perspective we are immediately drawn into some potentially important and at the same time complex debates. Next year, we intend to publish a special edition that will specifically focus on the appropriateness of involving young people in research activities (see Call for Papers p.xx in this edition). Crucially, in relation to both young people’s involvement in demonstrations and research activity, a different kind of relationship is encouraged – both between themselves and adults involved with them. For in adopting such a perspective, young people are seen as capable of possessing both the potential and capability to comment on, explore and contribute potential solutions in relation to specific problems, e.g. in this case, climate change. More than that a demand is created to foster a level of freedom and risk whereby young people are provided with spaces and opportunities to test out ideas and be involved in different kinds of collective interventions. Roche (2018, p. 6) in a discussion on children’s rights makes the point that:

Much valuable children’s rights scholarship has taken issue with the traditional taken-for granted accounts of what children are, adult child relationships, how children engage with and see their world and see geography and history as central to understanding contemporary childhood.

So, perhaps we should move towards a position that recognises that children and young people’s perceptions and their demands for change, around such issues as climate change, are themselves changing at a rapid rate. For it is not just what is taught or not taught in a school environment or at home that can shape perceptions, beliefs and actions, but also those things that young people draw from social and other media forms, as well as their interactions with young people as adults.

In pursuing such an idea it appears logical to argue the case that some children and young people will want to actively seek out places and spaces where they can pursue their ideas and opinions, and present alternative possibilities that might on occasions directly oppose those advocated by adults. The chance to demonstrate and project their views is, therefore, more likely to arise if appropriate social media forums are available, or they are able to create active allegiances with others. Thus, we can begin to see the lives and individual and collective actions of the young in different ways. For example, it can be argued that children and young people are more than capable of presenting detailed insights into what they see, believe and understand; they capable of offering an informed level of analysis, to question where appropriate and thereby shape discussion and debate. That is not to say that such perspectives should be seen as the ‘finished article’, but rather as evolving and changing entities that are constructed and reconstructed through time – much as in the same ways as adult viewpoints might shift.

Here then, in this short editorial pastoral an attempt has been made to offer a particular perspective on why young people might be drawn into different forms of participation and action. Of course, different motives and intentions will be in play all the time – and yes some young people may just want to ‘escape’ from school. However, there is a pastoral purpose discernible here if we choose to explore and reflect on it. When we talk of the importance of ‘listening’, of ‘enabling’, of ‘facilitating’, of ‘empowering’, are we willing to accept within such discourse the right of a child to take action if/when they believe adults are failing to respond to their needs, perspectives or ambitions? Are we willing to give young people space: to take risks; to locate themselves in the life worlds via their own experiential lenses; to deal with the fallout that may occur when adult and child perspectives differ?

Hopefully this short piece has at least stimulated your thoughts and ideas, and of course as always, we encourage you to write a response and submit it to the journal for publication in a future edition (short pieces for potential publication can be around 2/3k words). As to whether young people are actively involved in developing their political awareness or merely taking time out of the classroom when participating in a demonstration? I leave you to ponder.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.